Whereas the Sun-Star Topull and BOXY varieties had larger interlocking surfaces, today’s batch has finer, closer fitting ‘puzzle’ parts.
First up is a green clicker ballpoint from Schwan Stabilo. Simple yet beguiling in the way the black button meshes with the green body. The black metal clip is also visually integrated with the array of slots. The use of an older style European A3 format refill suggests it was made in the late 1970s to mid 1980s. No date was printed on the refill.
On the other hand, we have a pair of gold accented Pilot Laureate rollerballs. Pressing down on the top half closes the interlocking gaps in the midsection - a visually satisfying experience!
To retract the tip, you lift up the hinged clip and the halves spring open. I managed to swap out the dried original refills for a simple Pilot G2 gel type.
If Pilot is true to form, they would have likely also made models in navy blue, green or white. But I haven’t seen them in the wild or in catalogs. Any additional information is most welcome!